Knights baseball splits doubleheader against Skidmore

Sunday, April 22, 2018 - 5:51 am

Saratoga Springs, NY – Two solid pitching efforts from the Clarkson University Baseball team yielded just one win on Saturday as the Golden Knights split a doubleheader against Skidmore, dropping the opener 2-1 in 10 innings and gaining a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

The Golden Knights moved to 9-11 overall and 4-6 in the Liberty League, while Skidmore moved to 12-16 and 7-11. The two teams will meet against on Sunday to complete the four-game set.

Senior Will Coleman was dominant once again, but his 10-inning complete-game effort wasn't good enough for the win. The righty struck out 14 and allowed six hits and three walks, but a run in the first and another in the 10th sunk his chance for another victory.

Skidmore scored once in the first when Will Potter led off with a double and advanced around the bases on two groundouts to put the Thoroughbreds up 1-0. Clarkson picked up a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game up as Vincent Granuzzo reached on a one-out single and was forced to third base on walks to both Mike Krick and Ben Knauf. Joe Stockman then hit a grounder to short, but he was able to beat the throw to first to make sure that the double play wasn't completed to end the inning, and Granuzzo scored to make it 1-1.

Clarkson had a chance to push across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth when Mike Messier singled and moved to second on a bunt, but he was stranded in scoring position. Skidmore would take advantage in the next half inning as Shawn Klier led off with a single and was replaced with pinch-runner Justin Bottcher. He moved up on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Hayden Smith to give Skidmore the 2-1 win in extras.

In game two, Clarkson quadrupled its run-scoring output from the first game in the opening inning, putting up four in the first. Brad Pearson singled home Nate Burns, who had reached on an error, and then came around himself on a double by Dan Pariso. Ben Knauf then tripled home Pariso and scored on a throwing error for Clarkson's fourth run of the inning. Skidmore got on the scoreboard in the top of the second when Ryan Strickland scored on a bases loaded double play, but Coleman sent Mike Tito scampering home on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the frame to give the Knights a four-run advantage.

In the fifth, Skidmore scored twice with run-scoring hits from Klier and Smith, but that was all the offense that the Thoroughbreds could get. Mark Connor replaced starting pitcher Andrew Smith, tossing three hitless innings to gain the save.